Some Elusive Dream
by Denigoddess2001
Summary: Thank to boredom, a fortune teller run amok ( or a Puck), Ricky Martin and a deck of Animal Totem cards, Elisa finally wakes up and realizes the depth of her feelings for Goliath. Everybody grab the cleenex...it's a romance with a happy ending! "Awww..


DISCLAIMER: Disney owns Gargoyles and all the characters mentioned herein. However Madame Pythia is all mine! Mine, mine, mine!!! The song "Come To Me" belongs to Ricky Martin and his composers. I did not write this story for profit...I wrote it because I love a good Goliath/ Elisa romance (there need to be more). This is also to prove that I can write something sweet and sentimental rather than steamy. Please read, enjoy, and review. Rated PG just so it doesn't get completely passed over by the adults.  
  
ravyndarkholme@aol.com  
  
NOTE: THE ANIMAL CARDS MENTIONED HEREIN CAN BE FOUND IN SEVERAL DECKS. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED READ THINGS BY TED ANDREWS, JAIME SAMMS, AND SUN BEAR. CARTOMANCY IS A FORM OF MAGICK AND NOT MEANT TO TREAT, MANAGE, OR CURE ANYTHING. THE REAL MAGICK AFOOT IS FOUND IN THE FAITH OF THE HUMAN HEART AND THE HOPE WITHIN THE HUMAN SOUL. SO MOTE IT BE.  
  
SOME ELUSIVE DREAM  
By: Denigoddess  
  
Elisa Maza needed a day away from work. Any day away would do. After finishing her undercover work with the drug trafficking ring, she needed the burden of debauchery lifted from her soul. She wanted a weekend alone in the country; preferably with Goliath. She imagined just the two of them walking under argent moonlight through rolling hills cloaked in summer wild flowers.  
  
[Yeah right, Maza!] Whatever.]  
  
She couldn't deny that it was, at best, a superficial dream. It was a hollow ache in her heart knowing that she didn't dare dwell a millisecond upon her most secret and fondest dream: She wanted a relationship with Goliath.  
  
"Not in this lifetime." She muttered in frustration when she turned on the water for her shower. She stepped into the steaming spray and let the pulsating droplets wash away the stress and frustration. Instead of the powerful stream pounding the knots out of her back, she wished it were Goliath's strong hands kneading her sore muscles.  
  
[What to do on my night off?] Elisa thought absently while she washed her hair. After a few minutes in the shower, she stepped out and dried herself. Inspiration hit her as she spied today's newspaper laying on her coffee table.  
  
She briefly breezed through the pages checking out the headlines. Nothing caught her eye as interesting until the she flipped to the want ads.  
  
"Do You Have A Dream?"  
  
Do you long for what you can not have?  
Do you want to control your future?  
With the power of dream, anything is possible.  
Call Madame Pythia...555-1314  
1231 Havelock Blvd.; Manhattan  
Walk-ins welcome  
  
  
"Hmmm." It certainly beat sitting at home alone while the Gargoyles were out on patrol. Elisa knew that she could see Goliath in just a few hours. "I'll give it a shot. I need some good entertainment."  
  
Elisa picked up the phone and place the call. She talked with a man on the other end of the line. He said that Madame Pythia was unable to come to the phone and usually didn't make appointments this late.  
  
"My son, let me talk to this one." She heard a contralto voice lilt in the background. "Hello, this is Madame Pythia. You wish to make an appointment?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, please." Elisa answered. Now she wasn't so certain that this was such a great idea. "I can wait until tomorrow-"  
  
"You have a unique voice, my child." Come the throaty voice from the other end of the line. "I wish to hear it more closely. Please state your name again. I am sensing something strong."  
  
Okay, I'm game, Elisa thought. "Elisa Maza."  
  
"Your voice is exquisite. Your voice has a hint of the otherworld to it-you have seen Magick, haven't you child?" Asked the almost hypnotic voice. "It's stirring in your soul. Otherwise you would not have called me."  
  
.....If you count Gargoyles, Oberon's Children, and the Grimorum Arcanorum....I suppose so. Elisa thought wryly. "I don't really know."  
  
"Lying to me will do you little good." Madame chided her. "You intrigue me. Come tonight and I will do a special reading for you...only $50."  
  
"I can be there in forty-five minutes." Elisa replied.  
  
"And Ms. Maza?" asked Madame Pythia  
  
"Yes?".  
  
"Bring something of value to you...something of SENTIMENTAL value." Madame Pythia cleared her through and pointedly told Elisa. "You may have need of it."  
  
Elisa hung up the phone and finished dressing. She found it odd that Madame Pythia. She donned her brown leather bomber jacket and scanned her bedroom of sentimental value. Nothing really came to mind. Elisa lived a Spartan existence by nature.  
  
Then, she saw the one item she held close to her heart. It was a framed photograph of Goliath and her taken on Christmas. It showed the looming lavender leviathan standing protectively behind her with her wrapped in his strong arms. His wings were cloaked affectionately around her. The look in her eyes at that moment was one of pure joy.  
  
She had lived on that night for months. She remember how Goliath had gently tilted her head and chastely pressed his lips to her. She cursed the fool that tormented her by hanging Mistletoe.  
  
She grabbed the photograph and stuck it insider her pocket. She made the drive across town. Within the hour, she made her way to an elegant Victorian home that seemed rather plain for someone named Madame Pythia. Elisa opened the gate to the white picket fence and cautiously walked up the cobble-stone walk.  
  
She stepped up to the front door. She cautiously rapped on the door. Elisa didn't have long to wait. A young man with blonde hair answered the door. "Ms. Maza, please come in. Madame is expecting you."  
  
She followed the young man through the hallway to a room that seemed like a parlor. It had a high, intricately tiled ceiling. Dark burgundy textured wallpaper adorned the walls. In the middle of the ceiling hand an ornate crystal chandelier. It hung over a dark, ornate walnut round table covered with a lace tablecloth. To the right, she saw tea service.  
  
"Please make yourself at home, Ms. Maza." The young man politely told her. "If you should have need of anything, please feel free to call for me. My name is Stephen."  
  
"Thank-you, Steven." She replied. It seemed neither garish nor tawdry. Everything was rather elegant and very tasteful. It certainly didn't reflect her expectation of a fortune teller's office.  
  
A sudden chill drifted across the room. Elisa saw the lace curtains slight rustle and still. She felt the chill move through the warm leather of her jacket. She looked around to see if anyone had entered the room. She turned to the entrance but saw no one.  
  
The lights dimmed to darkness. Candlelight in the middle of the table cut through the darkness. Music with a Celtic flavor played softly throughout the room. "Good evening, Ms. Maza."   
  
Elisa sharply turned to see a woman sitting at the table. Rather startled, she managed to speak. "Madame Pythia?"  
  
"At your service." She smiled and motioned to the chair opposite of her. "Please, sit and have some tea."  
  
For several minutes, they chatted about small things such as the weather and the recent senatorial race. Finally, Madame pulled out an ornately carved dark wooden box. She open it and took out something wrapped in a white silk hanky. She carefully unfold the hanky to reveal a worn deck of Animal totem cards.   
  
Elisa's eyes widened slightly. Again, something she hadn't been expecting.  
  
"You thought I did tarot?" Madame asked.  
  
"Frankly, yeah."  
  
"Dear, with me learn to count on the unanticipated." Madame chuckled. She blue a stray tendril of her silvery blonde hair from her perfectly painted face.  
  
Without another word, Madame lit incense and walked around the room. "We ask the four directions to come to this ritual and bless it with their protection and white light. Let no negativity enter this room."  
  
She returned to her seat and offered the cards to Elisa. "Please shuffle and take what time you need."  
  
Elisa didn't know what to think about, yet, Goliath's image kept flooding her mind. She shuffled the deck deftly.  
  
"Cut the cards, Ms. Maza."  
  
Elisa cut the cards once and laid them down upon the table.  
  
"Let me see your item of sentimental value." Madame encouraged her.   
]  
Elisa hesitated, realizing that a picture of Goliath in the wrong hands could lead to very bad ramifications. She looked at the woman with perfectly coifed blonde hair and eyes of silver, ice, and sky. She waited mutely as the woman laid down three cards left to right. The she laid another under the middle card.  
  
"Let us see what we have here, shall we?" She asked cryptically.  
  
"Hmmmm....." She raised her eyebrows as if she were astonished by the first card. "This first card on the far left represents the past for you, Elisa. It is the crow nonetheless."  
  
"What does that mean?" Elisa asked carefully.  
  
"Well, my dear, this is a very enigmatic card." Madame smiled slyly. "It is the crow. The crow is a nocturnal creature. Their kind mate for life. It is known for it's resourcefulness and it's dedicated effort to teamwork. It is also considered the keeper of the sacred law. This would represent you."  
  
"Wow." Elisa gasped.  
  
"This card often shows up with one who is a night person by nature. Crows are also known to be victims of their own gluttony. Do you see how the card is reversed, upside down?"  
  
"Yes, I do." Elisa leaned forward to study the richly detailed artwork.  
  
"That means that you've been denying yourself of things you need and enjoy. You've been denying yourself love." Madame tapped the card. "Crow represents the dream state. You've been denying yourself the man of your dreams."  
  
"There's something to be said for that." Elisa grudgingly admitted.  
  
"Let us move on to the center card." The sophisticated blonde waved her hand over the middle card. "It is the buffalo, also reversed. Wankan Tanka (Wonk-on Tonk-kah) is what the Sioux call this great one. He represents the life-force within all of us. Wankan Tonka provided everything to the Indians...clothing, food, shelter, living supplies. It is reversed. You are holding on fiercely to something because you are afraid you'll lose it. Wankan Tanka is spirit, my friend. Let your spirit go. Do not to be as generous as the buffalo. Let your spirit fly freely on the wings of love. Take love in whatever form it finds you."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes, really." Madame Pythia said pointedly. "This card indicates that great love is in your life and trying to reach your spirit, but, you won't let it touch your heart."  
  
"There is some truth to that." Elisa felt as though she were on trial. "There is someone that I care deeply about...but, it would be impossible for us. We two completely different...people." She chose her words carefully.  
  
"Buffalo gave everything so that his people, the Sioux, would live. Open your heart to receive the fierce generosity of this love, Elisa Maza."   
  
She pointed at the third card. "This card represents the near future and it is the dear. Deer represents gentleness and grace. It reminds us to be gentle to ourselves and offer kindness to all living creatures. Be kind to yourself...it would do you well. Accept and give love. It's good for the soul."  
  
"I'll have to keep that in mind." Elisa replied. [ Damn! The woman was good.}  
  
She watched in true fascination as Madame Pythia turned over the last card. "This represents the final outcome. It is spider. Spider is great medicine, magick, influence in the world. Spider tells us that you have the power to weave your dreams into reality so that they will manifest. This means, Elisa, that you have the power to make this dream of love come true. You must believe in it. Only you can make it happen. If you have faith, then it will be so. If you believe it to be impossible, then this love will remain unknown to you forever."  
  
"What should I do?" She hated the quiver of fear that crept into her voice. A future without Goliath was something Elisa refused to contemplate.  
  
"I think you already know, but, one more turn of a card should give you what you need to take with you on your heart's journey. " Madame Pythia's slender fingers slowly drew one more card from the top of the animal card deck. What seemed an eternal moment finally ended when she turned over the final card. It was the butterfly.  
  
"Ah! Elisa, this is an excellent card." Madame happily exclaimed. "Butterfly is the realm of thought and the realm of air. It also represents change and transition. Your thoughts about this potential love are changing. Since butterflies are represent the element of air, this implies a social connotation. You wish to move ahead and explore this new love. You long for the support of family and friends. Butterflies always represent transformation from catipiller to butterfly from the chrysalis. You are also changing as is your relationship. It shall blossom."  
  
"Madame, I just can't believe how you managed to nail this down just with a pictures of animals." Elisa shook her head in amazement. "This describes perfectly what I've been going through for the last two years."  
  
"And you ache for him, don't you, dear?" Madame Pythia asked softly. "How many tears have stained your pillow for something you thought that you never deserved?"  
  
"Too many." Elisa rasped.   
  
"You have a golden opportunity. Don't let it pass you by. Claim this love. It is yours for the asking. But you must ASK!"  
  
"I just don't know what to say."  
  
"Then say nothing and just DO it." Madame stated emphatically. "Do you have the sentimental item with you?"  
  
"Yeah, I do." Elisa clumsily brought out the picture of Goliath carefully placing it in Madame's hands.  
  
"Oh, he is a handsome one!" She smiled. "You know how to pick your Gargoyles!"  
  
[Gulp. How does she know?]  
  
"I know many things. Anyway, that isn't important." Madame Pythia rose from her seat and walked to a table draped in carmine velvet. From an ornately carved crystal goblet she scattered spherule of water on the frame. She took a deep burgundy gem and circled it clockwise three times over the picture.   
  
"El amour, el amour." Madame murmured. She turned back to Elisa and handed her the picture. "Now, you and your Gargoyle have a good chance at finding love with each other."  
  
"I hope so."  
  
"It shouldn't be a problem. I don't have to be a psychic to see that picture and know just how much he adores you. Treasure him."   
  
"I will and I do."  
  
"Good girl." Madame Pythia cleared her throat. "That will be $50."  
  
"Of course." Elisa hastily dug a fifty dollar bill from her purse. "You earned it."  
  
"That remains to see, my dear." Madame put the fifty away. "It rests upon you."  
  
**********  
  
Elisa drove across town and contemplated the striking things told her by Madame Pythia.  
  
That means that you've been denying yourself of things you need and enjoy. You've been denying yourself love...... Let your spirit fly freely on the wings of love. Take love in whatever form it finds you.... Only you can make it happen. If you have faith, then it will be so. If you believe it to be impossible, then this love will remain unknown to you forever.... Butterflies always represent transformation from catipiller to butterfly from the chrysalis. You are also changing as is your relationship. It shall blossom."  
  
She found a CD belonging to her sister laying in the front seat of her car. She picked it up and inwardly groaned. [Ugh...Ricky Martin}.  
  
"Sound loaded." She read the CD's title aloud. "What the hey? It beats listening to police sirens." With that, Elisa popped in the CD and selected random play.  
  
  
THIS IS NOT THE WAY I WANTED THINGS TO BE  
I HOPE SOMEDAY THAT YOU'LL UNDERSTAND  
MY HEART BEATS STRONGER WHEN I'M CLOSE TO YOU  
IT'S HELPED ME BE A BETTER MAN...  
  
WHY MUST ALL OF THE LOVE COME FALLING  
WHY DON'T WE JUST TAKE OUR CHANCE  
I COULD WALK THIS ROAD AGAIN WITH YOU MY LOVE  
OH...OH...  
  
(CHORUS)  
WHY DON'T YOU COME TO ME?  
DON'T SAVE YOUR LOVE FOR SOME ELUSIVE DREAM  
WHY CAN'T YOU FIND YOUR WAY  
I WILL FALL FOR YOU NO MATTER WHERE IT LEADS  
  
(VERSE 2)  
THIS IS NOT THE WAY WE STARTED YOU AND I  
HOW WAS IT THAT I LOST MY WAY  
TWO SOULS CAN DRIFT APART WITHOUT A WORD  
WERE THOSE THE WORDS I DID NOT SAY?  
  
WHY MUST ALL THE LOVE COME FALLING  
WHY DON'T WE JUST TAKE OUR CHANCE?  
I COULD WALK THIS ROAD AGAIN WITH YOU MY LOVE....  
  
Gods, she had been such a fool. She thank Providence that she wasn't too late. She wasn't going to run away like a frightened rabbit this time! She'd deal with this love she had for Goliath like she dealt with everything else; HEAD ON!  
  
She hurriedly parked in the parking garage of the Eyrie building and cursed the gods for slow elevators. With the passing of each floor, she felt the lump in her throat grow larger. When the doors finally opened, Elisa was sure her heart would high jump from her chest, through her mouth and jump out the window. She almost ran through the noisy stone corridors of the castle. She finally entered the tower where she knew the gargoyles resided.  
  
[Please let Goliath be here. God, if I have ever asked you for anything...this is it. Please, let this work.]  
  
Elisa found Goliath just landing on return from his nightly patrol. An expression of delight danced across his hewed features. "Elisa, It is good to see you. I thought you were going to spend the evening at home."  
  
"Well, Big Guy, I decided that I needed something other than MTV to keep me company." She gave him a bright smile. "And you're much more fun than watching 'NYPD BLUE."  
  
"I thank you for your kind words." He held his arms out to her. Elisa resisted the shyness that threatened to overwhelm her. She abhorred maudlin situations. She rushed into his waiting arms and wrapped her own tightly around her gentle giant.  
  
"To what do I owe this ardent display of affection?" He asked joyfully flabbergasted.  
  
"Do I have to have a reason?" Elisa asked. "How about that I just that glad to see you."  
  
"That is sufficient for me." He replied happily.  
  
"Goliath, what if I told you that I just came from a fortune-teller and she told me I had been stupid not to jump in feet first ?" Elisa asked. "What if I told you that I can finally say, 'I love you , Goliath'?"  
  
"What would bring such a thing about?" He asked with a guarded expression upon his handsome face. "Why now? Why tonight?"  
  
"Let's just say that I've been told that anything is possible." She answered vaguely. "I've been really obtuse about this...us...this thing between us."  
  
"I have waited a thousand years for a love like this." Goliath sighed. "I can stand to wait a little longer."  
  
"I just realized tonight just what a blessing you are in my life and I don't want to screw this chance at something wonderful." Elisa said urgently. "Love doesn't always get a second chance around. I don't want to lose that...or you."  
  
"Elisa, you shall always have me." Goliath said lovingly as his large lavender hands delicately framed her face. "I shall never leave you."  
  
"But, I could lose you. I could have caused you to turn away." She said quickly. She turned away from him. "I couldn't take it if that were to happened."  
  
Goliath walked to where she stood. She felt his warmth because he was only a few inches behind her. She felt his wings wrap around her in that singular Gargoyle display of affection. His dexterous curled lovingly around her calf.  
  
"I didn't want to risk having my heart broken. I didn't want to face the fact that we might never be able to be together because we're just ....too different. I didn't want to fall in love with you. I didn't want to fall flat."  
  
"My love, I shall always be there to catch you."  
  
"I should have believed you when you told the first night we met." She smiled fondly when the warm memory danced across the corners of her mind. "I think I've always loved you since that first night."  
  
"Can you say that to me, my Elisa?" His deep, serene baritone sent tremors coursing through her. A lavender talon crooked under her chin. He gently lifted her chin so that she could meet his dark obsidian gaze. "Can you tell me that you love me?"  
  
There was no mistaking his solemn manner as he spoke those words. He was quite intimidating standing before her with those dark eyes gently and tenderly searching her innermost heart for a glimmer of romantic affection. "You know how I feel about you."  
  
[Where had she heard those words before? Dear God, what have I gotten myself into?} Elisa felt panic grow inside her.  
  
"Can you tell me, Elisa? Can you say the words that my hear has ached to hear from you?" Goliath asked raggedly.  
  
"I...love...you." She simply whispered. "I don't want to go through life not every feeling your love. I need it."  
  
"And I , you." Goliath brought his lips to her and thanked the Dragon that some elusive dream had brought Elisa to him. He thanked Providence for this precious exquisite gift that he held in his arms.  
  
Elisa silently Madame Pythia for her intuitive insight.  
  
And somewhere in the castle, a perfectly coifed blonde with slender fingers walked into the back entrance of the castle. Her petite figure gently melted away and became that of a man in a severe blue suit and burgundy tie. As Owen placed his glasses on his hawklike nose, a rare smile lit his features. And somewhere, an elusive dream had become a Midsummer Night's dream come true.  
  
-fin  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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End file.
